Fera honey analysts use industry leading techniques and cutting edge technologies to establish levels of the marker compound leptosperin within your Manuka honey samples. Through this analysis, the authenticity of your Manuka honey can be assessed against the findings of international research programmes and industry standards.

As a high value product, Manuka honey is regularly adulterated, blended and diluted. Fera offers chemical and microbiological analysis - including the new Leptosperin Manuka specific marker test - to confirm the authenticity of honey labelled as 'Manuka'. All analyses are fully validated and performed to current industry standards. Fera is the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association (UMF® Honey Association) key science partner in the UK, acting as an official testing laboratory for independently verifying the UMF® rating of Manuka honey.

Leptosperin is a naturally occurring chemical, found only in the nectar of Manuka plants (and a few very close relatives) and can therefore be used to confirm the authenticity of honey labelled as 'Manuka'. It was first identified (and patented) by Japanese researcher Kato in 2014. Leptosperin concentration is stable over time, and therefore measuring its concentration in honey is an ideal way of identifying whether the honey comes from Manuka flower nectar, and whether it can be labelled as Manuka, a Manuka blend, or as a multi-floral honey.